Ulli Theeyal Recipe

Ulli theeyal is a spicy Kerala style shallot curry made with roasted coconut and spices. This curry is also known as onion theeyal, roasted coconut curry which is very popular in Kerala and many parts of South India. You can enjoy theeyal with hot rice, thoran and Avial. It can be enjoyed with idli or dosa. In this blog post learn how to make authentic ulli theeyal with step by step pictures and video. 

Ulli theeyal

Amma makes theeyal at least once in a week. But the taste of it varies each time she makes it. It depends on the ingredient or vegetable which she puts in. Sometimes amma makes it with yam,  drumstick or pumpkin. She had even made theeyal only with garlic, if she has no vegetable on hand.

Jump to:

• What is Theeyal?
• About Ulli theeyal recipe
• Ulli Theeyal Ingredients 
• Kerala Style Theeyal Tips & Hacks
• How to Make Ulli Theeyal (Stepwise Pictures)
• Expert tips
• 📖 Recipe Card

To accompany this dish, she makes another gravy which we call as Urundai Kulambu. She makes small dumplings out of ground green gram dal with some spices and simmers that in a mild coconut gravy. I should tell you this, it tasted so awesome with this spicy theeyal. My mouth is watering when thinking about this dish. She also makes some drumstick leaves thoran to accompany theeyal. It is one of my childhood nostalgic combo dish. 

What is Theeyal?

Theeyal is a traditional South Indian dish from the Indian state of Kerala. It has a curry like texture and is made with spices such as roasted coconut, coriander seeds, dried red chilli, and fenugreek. All spices are roasted and ground into a paste and cooked with vegetables in tamarind water. It is cooked low and slow until the oil from the roasted coconut floats on top. This is the iconic look of theeyal. 

About Ulli theeyal recipe

In Malayalam, ulli refers to small onions/shallots/sambar onion. Theeyal means roasted curry dish. The main ingredient in making theeyal is roasted coconut. Fresh coconut is roasted until dark brown in colour and flavoured with chillies, coriander, curry leaves. 

Theeyal usually made with any vegetables of choice including pumpkin, onion, drumstick, yam, sambar onion, garlic or even fish can be used. The curry has tamarind and spices added which gives a tangy yet spicy taste to it. 

Amma used to take many shortcuts when making theeyal. Whenever she gets sometime on hand, may be weekends. She roast grated coconut until golden brown and allow them to cool down and store in freezer. This way she can make theeyal whenever she wants. Because the most time consuming part in making theeyal is toasting the coconut. 

In the tips section of the recipe post, I have shared my hacks for making best Kerala style theeyal recipe. Make sure to check them out. Once it is made, you can enjoy with variety of dishes. It can be served with rice and any side dish like thoran, avial, pachadi or poriyal.

Similar theeyal recipes

Kadala theeyal

Poosanikai theeyal

Payaru theeyal

Ulli Theeyal Ingredients 

Shallots - Shallots also known as sambar onion are a little sweeter than regular onions and have a more subtle flavor. Small onions are left whole in the curry which gives a unique taste and texture. 

Coconut - Coconut is a key ingredient in the dish, and it is added by roasting and grinding it with other spices like dried red chilli, Coriander seeds, and tamarind.

Dry Red Chilli - dry red chillies is added when roasting coconut. You can use whole dry red chillies or powdered chillies. 

Curry leaves - make sure you use fresh curry leaves when roasting coconut as well as when making curry. 

Tamarind - freshly squeezed tamarind is added for taste.

Coconut oil - like all Kerala dishes, make sure to cook this in coconut oil for flavour. 

Kerala Style Theeyal Tips & Hacks

Grind coconut before roasting - this is a hack which I follow for even roasting. Grated coconut tends to be uneven in texture which may result in uneven roasting. So I take the grated coconut in a blender and coarsely grind them. This makes them even and when roasting, it gives even colour. 

Roast Coconut in Bulk - If you are planning to make theeyal, take double or triple the quantity of coconut in a kadai. Roast them low and slow until golden brown. Now you can store this in fridge or freezer for many months. 

Use ground spices - if you are planning to roast coconut and store in freezer. I recommend you to use powdered spices when grinding coconut.

Cook low and slow - make sure to cook the curry low and slow until oil floats on top. This helps enhance the taste of the dish. 

How to Make Ulli Theeyal (Stepwise Pictures)

Ingredients for Roasting

1)Take all your ingredients required for making coconut paste.

Roasting Coconut

2)I am using a clay pot for making this curry. you can use any cooking pot of your choice. Heat 1 tsp of coconut oil in the pan. Add in freshly grated coconut. Roast for 2 to 3 minutes before adding in the spices.

Pro Tip: this is a hack which I follow for even roasting. Grated coconut tends to be uneven in texture which may result in uneven roasting. So I take the grated coconut in a blender and coarsely grind them. This makes them even and when roasting, it gives even colour. 

3)Add in peeled shallots, dry red chillies, coriander seeds and curry leaves.

4)Roast this on low medium heat till the coconut gets golden in colour.

5)Keep roasting till it gets dark golden in colour.

Making Coconut Masala

6)Take the roasted coconut along with the spices in a blender.

7)Add in tamarind. You can add in tamarind paste as well.

8)Add water and grind to a smooth paste. This is your coconut masala, set this aside till use.

Ingredients for ulli curry

9)Now get your ingredients for making ulli curry ready.

10)Peel shallots and cut in half. You can leave them whole if you prefer that way.

Making Ulli Curry

11)Heat coconut oil in a pan. Add in shallots and garlic. Saute this for 2 minutes or so.

12)Cook that till light golden in colour.

13)Now add in the coconut masala.

14)Pour water to form the gravy.

15)Season with salt. Mix salt really well in the curry. At this point taste the curry and check for tamarind and salt quantity. You can add more if needed.

16)Bring this to a full boil. Once it starts to boil, reduce the flame to very low (simmer) and cook covered until a layer of oil floats on top.

17)This is when you know your ulli curry is ready. Take it off the heat.

Make Tempering

18)Heat coconut oil in a pan. Add in fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Let them sizzle. Fenugreek seeds is optional, you can skip that if you prefer.

19)Pour this into the ulli curry and mix well.

20)Ulli curry is ready to serve. Enjoy with rice.

Expert tips

• Grated coconut tends to be uneven in texture which may result in uneven roasting. So I take the grated coconut in a blender and coarsely grind them. This makes them even and when roasting, it gives even colour.
• Take care when roasting coconut. Make sure to roast them on low to medium heat till golden. 
• Use small onions or shallots and leave them whole which adds sweetness and look. 
• Make sure to use coconut oil which adds taste to the curry. 
• You can use any vegetables like drumstick, pumpkin, yam when making theeyal. 
• Cook theeyal on low heat till oil floats on top. 

Serving and storage

Cooked theeyal can be stored in fridge For upto a week. Reheat before serving. 

You can enjoy theeyal with hot rice, thoran and Avial. It can be enjoyed with idli or dosa too. 

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